


Not The Standard Model

by tielan



Series: Fire And Ice: MCU Jaeger AU [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Jaegers, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Community: ladiesbingo, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Trope: The Standard Model
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 22:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7011121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ms. Potts. With all due respect, because you seem nice enough, I don’t really have time for this shit. Tony Stark’s personal peccadilloes only concern me in the terms that my bosses in the PPDC have framed them – namely, that he’s indispensable to the project and should be given leeway in pretty much anything he chooses.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not The Standard Model

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hiddencait](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiddencait/gifts).



> I've enjoyed writing this immensely, and hope to write more of this universe in future!

 

The Mark II Jaeger _Steel Patriot_ is launched in September 2016 from the Hong Kong Shatterdome, to much enthusiasm, ceremony, and – of course – PR.

The meterological report for the morrow is clear and bright, with the sky hopefully providing a brilliant blue backdrop against the sea for a perfectly picturesque Jaeger launch.

Inside, the Shatterdome is chaos.

Work crews scurry around, unable to find all the pieces that were neatly laid by just this morning. Jaeger engineers are complaining that nothing in the new system works when there were no complaints yesterday. And, of course, there’s the media who were assigned the early scoop on their fellows for the launch tomorrow. Which only means that they’re getting in the way, crossing the safety lines, and generally endangering themselves and the Shatterdome personnel who aren’t expecting them – all in the name of a ‘scoop’.

After all, according to the media, this is the launch of Tony Stark’s _personal Jaeger_. And what Tony Stark does is always _news_.

“Nobody ever mentions Colonel Rhodes,” Maria mutters as she signs off on the expulsion of yet another media representative who broke the rules - they were warned – and has Shatterdome Security escort him out, yelling sexist abuse all the way. “Do they even _know_ how a Jaeger is piloted?”

“See, you’re assuming that the average citizen is informed,” Jasper notes. “Or that the media has any interest in informing them accurately. Plus, I don’t think a dozen in a hundred really understands the Drift – just that it takes two to Coyote Tango.”

Maria gives him a flat look for that bit of humour, then frowns as her earpiece buzzes with a message from Phil. “What’s up?”

“I need you up here to escort a VIP.”

She knows better than to wince, especially when she gets up to the control room and discovers the VIP is no less than Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s personal assistant.

“Ms Potts.”

“Ranger Hill.” Score one for the PA, at any rate – most guys try to reduce her to a ‘Ms’. “I have the personality interface through which Mr. Stark wishes to channel LOCCENT Control commands.”

There is, in Maria’s opinion, no unequivocal upside to having Tony Stark in a Conn-Pod, and far too many down sides. One of them is that the man has a ridiculous number of idiosyncrasies, the money and power to indulge in them, and the charm to handwave it all away in the eyes of the media and even some high-up members of the PPDC who should really know better.

Thankfully, the current Marshal of the Hong Kong Shatterdome _is_ one of the ones that knows better, but even Fury’s objections can only sustain so far. The PPDC say Tony Stark’s public support, technological brilliance, and private billions is necessary to the continuation of the Jaeger program, and Thus Saith Those On High.

“I’ll get up to the Conn-Pod myself—”

“Actually,” Ms. Potts says, apologetic but unyielding, “I have to be present for the installation – there are codes which only I’m vouchsafed to know for the security of the interface.”

Maria doesn’t believe what she’s hearing. The PPDC – the entity responsible for the Jaeger Program and therefore the survival of the world against the _kaiju_ – is not ‘vouchsafed’ for the codes of the personal interface to Tony Stark’s Jaeger?

She looks to Phil whose expression is surely as blank as her own. Then she looks back at Ms. Potts. “What level of security pass did they issue you when you came in?”

The woman pulls her lanyard out from beneath the perfectly tailored jacket. “Clearance 6-A.”

“You’re going to need more.”

Phil pats Maria on the shoulder as a curly-haired tech who’s surely not old enough to vote, let alone drink, hovers behind him with a clipboard, waiting for his signature. “I’ll leave it to you.”

Maria indicates the doorway out of LOCCENT Control. “Ms. Potts. This way, please.”

She doesn’t make small talk as they head out into the corridor and down the stairs, heading for Security, down on Ground, near the public entry point to the Shatterdome.

“I’m sorry to inconvenience you,” Ms. Potts says mildly as they reach the back door into the Security offices.

Maria turns and looks at her, considering many answers before discarding most of them. “Ms. Potts. With all due respect, because you seem nice enough, I don’t really have time for this shit. Tony Stark’s personal peccadilloes only concern me in the terms that my bosses in the PPDC have framed them – namely, that he’s indispensable to the project and should be given leeway in pretty much anything he chooses.”

“It’s not an unusual perspective,” Potts says after a moment. “And I’m not going to argue it. Yes, Mr. Stark pushes the limits just because he can. And, yes, it’s annoying.”

“But this is your job and you’re doing it. I get that. And this is my job and I’m doing it.”

Security is a madhouse, thanks to all the people trying to get in on this day of days. Luckily, Maria knows and is known to Security, and they’re more than happy to give her the fastpass treatment with the promise of the appropriate forms being filed later. Within the hour, she has Ms. Potts in a coverall, her personal possessions stowed in a locker, and boots on her feet as they make their way through the series of lifts and corridors up to _Steel Patriot’s_ Conn-Pod.

Potts is a good sport, and no idiot, either, observing the pace of work around the Shatterdome with interested eyes, and occasionally asking questions more pertinent to the situation than Maria would have expected. Which, if she thinks about it, makes sense seeing as the woman has to manage Tony Stark on a daily basis. _The patience of Job and the wisdom of Soloman_ , as her gran used to say.

They pause at the Conn-Podd Mech Station, three-quarters of the way up the Shatterdome, partly so Potts can catch a bit of breath – they haven’t been on foot all the way, but due to the design of the old power station, the corridors are pretty torturous – and partly so Maria can pull the senior programming tech for _Steel Patriot_ , as well as one of the Conn-Pod mechs to run an interfacing diagnostic once they’re done.

“No disrespect to Stark intended,” says Mech Ranger Yap as she closes the door behind her. “But Jaegers have a mind of their own, and sometimes they don’t take well to modifications. _Blood Dragon_ blew six microprocessor arrays before they realised he didn’t like Hammer tech.”

“Yes, but _nobody_ likes Hammer tech,” Maria observes. “Not even the Mechs who work with it – they just find workarounds to integrate it with the rest of the stuff they’re using.”

They’re halfway up the next set of stairs to the elevator to the Conn-Pod gantry access before Potts asks, “I thought Stark Industries was providing all Jaeger tech?”

“Mostly, they are,” says Yap as she trails behind Maria and Pepper. “Definitely the new stuff. But the initial contracts were underwritten with Hammer Industries, and so a lot of the Mark I tech is from Hammer. And parts break in battle, or things don’t work optimally, so we replace what we can with what we have, and occasionally cannibalise.”

“This isn’t about whose name is on the part, Ms. Potts, it’s about getting the Jaeger into the fight.”

Potts gives Maria a very level look. “I quite agree, Ranger Hill.”

They reach the Conn-Pod, and Potts loads up the program, installs the personality interface, and initialises it with a series of codes that flash swiftly under her fingers with practised precision. She is most definitely not just a pretty face.

Maria stands to the side, noting all the little things that make the Jaeger a far cry from the standard Mark II model – the gel cushioning, the projector interfaces, and – of course – the personality interface which sounds rather like a slightly stuffy English butler, and greets Potts by name.

“Good evening, Ms. Potts.”

“Good morning, JARVIS,” says Potts cheerfully. “Initialise time codes.”

“Initialising. We are in Hong Kong, time is 10:03am, location is the Hong Kong Shatterdome, interface processing… Complete. We are ready for _Steel Patriot_ launch in fifty-six minutes.”

Ranger Han runs his diagnostic without uttering a word – the surly sort – while Ranger Yap checks the interfaces and reports back as he’s going through the returns.

“Looks all good,” is his only pronouncement before he closes up the laptop, gets to his feet and stumps off.

Potts stares after him, surprised at the brusqueness.

“Pay him no mind,” Yap’s fingers dance across the boards and she watches the display shift and change, looking for things that Maria doesn’t exactly know. “We say he’d talk in lines of code if not for the fact that it’s people who do the hiring rather than machines. Well, I’d say it’s done. Hopefully Rangers Stark and Rhodes will find it satisfactory. If not, that’s what today is for, right?”

She practically bounces out, happy with a job well done.

“Some interesting people you have around here,” Potts notes.

“No more than I imagine work at Stark Industries.”

“You imagine right.” Potts walks out onto the Conn Pod gantry, and Maria signals to the Pod techs that they can close it up, ready for Stark and Rhodes when they hook in. “Thank you for escorting me up here. I know it’s required, but you took the time, personally, on what must be a horrendously busy day, and I appreciate that.”

Maria blinks a couple of times, a little surprised by the courtesy. “You’re welcome.”

“Are you going to be watching the launch yourself?”

“Probably not.” Maria has a dozen other things to manage, without squeezing in on a balcony somewhere in an attempt to glimpse the Jaeger heading out to the Miracle Mile before striking a few poses (doubtless to the tune of some of the classic rock that's Stark's preferred playlist, because Stark is certainly not going to miss the opportunity to show off), and wading back into the shallows for drinks (another opportunity Stark isn’t about to forgo), while the Jaeger clean-up teams make sure that the Jaeger hasn’t taken damage.

“Ah.” Potts tilts her head. “And the dinner tonight?”

“Not likely.” At Potts’ arch of the brow, she explains, “I’m not exactly high on the PPDC list of people who’d get tickets to a deal like that.”

Potts tilts her head. “I have a spare ticket if you’re interested. It was to be for Tony’s date, but...” She trails off, and Maria can read the silence perfectly well. “Dress blues will be sufficient – it’s a PPDC function, not a gala.”

Maria looks at the other woman, now more than a little surprised, and somewhat alarmed. “No offence, Ms. Potts, but you’re not my type.”

The other woman’s laughter is silvery. “And you’re not mine. It’s not like that, Ranger Hill – I’m not putting the moves on you, just asking if you’d like to attend.”

Maria is very tempted to claim that she doesn’t have time to hob nob tonight, except that she’s been working nearly non-stop overseeing the crews working to get in the final touches of the Jaeger, and Fury and Phil both told her that if they see her face in the halls of the Shatterdome after today’s launch she’ll be off the work roster for a month. And, hey, free drinks are free drinks, Potts seems up front about the situation, and she _is_ just a bit curious about how the nobs hobnob...

“Okay,” she hears herself saying and is kind of surprised that the syllables are coming out of her mouth.

“Good.” Potts grins. “I’ll give you my cell number, and meet you outside the hall when you arrive with the Shatterdome group.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Next fic: [Fire Breathers](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7161629)
> 
> (I'm afraid I can't mark this as a series yet, because my name will be tagged to the series even if all the fics in the series are anonymous. So for the meantime, you'll have to use my links.)


End file.
